Why a Name Change Won't Help Dunkin' Donuts

The recent history of companies trying to shorten their name for branding reasons has not been overly successful.

In 2009, Yum! Brands' (NYSE: YUM) Pizza Hut briefly tried to market itself as "The Hut," which the chain's then-CEO said was an attempt to appeal to the "texting generation," according to CBS News. Consumers mocked the move, probably in part because trying to be hip is decidedly not hip, and at least a little bit because it brought up thoughts of obese space slug Jabba the Hutt from the Star Wars universe.

During that same year, Radio Shack attempted a similar branding campaign, trying to recast itself as "The Shack." That went so well that the company quickly dropped the new moniker before going bankrupt, reorganizing, and then going bankrupt for a second time.

Source: Fool.com